Humorous stories; London (England) -- Fiction; Lucia (Fictitious character) -- Fiction; Women -- England -- Fiction
Georgie’s face was suddenly immersed in concentration.
“I wouldn’t mind betting----” he began.
Olga again shouted with laughter.
“If you’ll give me three to one that I don’t know what you were going to
say, I’ll take it,” she said.
“But you can’t know,” said Georgie.
“Yes I do. You wouldn’t mind betting that Lucia will be shingled.”
“Well, you are quick,” said Georgie admiringly.
* * * * *
It was known, of course, next morning, that Lucia and Pepino were
intending to spend a few weeks in London before selling the house, and
who knew what _that_ was going to mean? Already it was time to begin
rehearsing for the next May Day revels, and Foljambe, that paragon of
all parlour-maids, had been overhauling Georgie’s jerkin and hose and
dainty little hunting boots with turn-down flaps in order to be ready.
But when Georgie, dining at The Hurst next evening, said something about
May Day revels (Lucia, of course, would be Queen again) as they played
Cut-throat with the Manual on Auction Bridge handy for the settlement of
such small disputes as might arise over the value of the different
suits, she only said:
“Those dear old customs! So quaint! And fifty to me above, Pepino, or is
it a hundred? I will turn it up while you deal, Georgie!”
This complete apathy of Lucia to May Day revels indicated one of two
things, that either mourning would prevent her being Queen, or absence.
In consequence of which Georgie had his jerkin folded up again and put
away, for he was determined that nobody except Lucia should drive him
out to partake in such a day of purgatory as had been his last year....
Still, there was nothing conclusive about that: it might be mourning.
But the evidence accumulated that Lucia meant to make a pretty solid
stay in London, for she certainly had some cards printed at “Ye Signe of
Ye Daffodille” on the Village Green where Pepino’s poems were on sale,
with the inscription
_Mr. and Mrs. Philip Lucas
request the pleasure of the company of_
...............
_at_ ............... _on_ ...............
25 Brompton Square. R.S.V.P.
Daisy Quantock had found that out, for she saw the engraved copper-plate
lying on the counter, and while the shopman’s back was turned, had very
cleverly read it, though it was printed the wrong way round, and was
very confusing. Still she managed to do so, and the purport was plain
enough: that Lucia contemplated formally asking somebody to something
some time at 25 Brompton Square. “And would she,” demanded Daisy, with
bitter irony, “have had cards printed like that, if they were only
meaning to go up for a week or two?” And if that was not enough Georgie
saw a postcard on Lucia’s writing table “From Mrs. Philip Lucas, 25
Brompton Square, S.W.3,” plainly printed on the top.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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